The Angels arguably have the best starting rotation and one of the best bullpens in all of baseball. All 5 starters are capable of winning games, and, god forbid, anything should happen to one of them, they're covered with Saunders, Moseley, or Carrasco. The only weak spot would be Santana on the road. It's a mental problem. But, he just broke that streak today against the Cards! It was his first road win this season after 5 road losses. AND, he hit a 2 RBI double! Hopefully he can keep it up! Besides, when I was watching on Gameday, it looked like most of the balls he threw just barely missed the strike zone. He went 6 innings, allowing 6 hits and 3 earned runs... Not bad! By the end of his outing, though, they were starting to knock him around. But, he still picked up the win. Escobar has been doing well; he's the only Angel who can regularly complete full games. You've gotta love that!
Bartolo has been doing okay, but his injuries may be holding him back. His start yesterday didn't go so well. He gave up 3 HRs in each of the first three innings. One good start should set him back on track.
Weaver got roughed up a bit in the beginning of the season, but he's getting back to his successful self and picking up the W's. (We just got his bobblehead doll when we went to one of the games.)
And last, but definitely NOT least, Big John! He has been phenomenal this season; he's the ace. If C.C. Sabathia loses his next start, Lackey will have another chance to be the first in the Bigs to get 10 wins for the season. I love the fact that he plays with such emotion and passion. I love it! And, there's the possibility of the All Star Game. He started Game 7 of the World Series for the Angels in '02 as a rookie. Talk about a big game! I'm sure he'd be able to handle the All Star Game. Although, that would probably be tough for any pitcher. There won't be any break in the lineup! I kind of Joe Saunders... He's not bad, and he's 3-0 on the season. He's the only southpaw starter. His strike to ball ratio isn't the greatest, but he's still young and I'm sure he'll mature and get better. I was so happy for him when he won the game that was "dedicated" to VA Tech.
As for the bullpen, they're not too shabby at holding down the other team. Darren Oliver has had a high ERA, but in his last outing against the Cardinals, he struck out the side for his one inning of work. Two of those batters were Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds. Hector Carrasco has a pretty high ERA as well, and teams like to tee off on him, but he's okay. Bootcheck is usually only used for blowout games (Angels blowing out the opposition, or vice versa). But, as his career progresses, I'm sure he'll play a more important role in the bullpen.
Dustin Moseley is pretty good, and feel relatively "safe" when he comes in. He's done a good job filling in for Justin Speier. Hopefully he'll be coming back soon to set up for Shields and K-Rod. Speier's got a strange delivery, but it's pretty effective. Once he comes back, Moseley can be used for long relief if a starter gets into trouble in early innings, or as a starter himself. Shields and Frankie have both been pretty good recently as well.
They've both gotten roughed up early in the season, but they're getting back into the swing of things. Shields will be in the Angel bullpen til (at least) 2010, but Frankie only has a one-year contract. Hopefully, the Angels will be able to lock him up long-term. Losing Frankie would be a pretty big loss for the Halos. He's got a wicked fastball and a nasty slider that gets guys all the time. Well, enough said about the pitching staff... Besides their performances speak for themselves. What's been making them look even better lately is the defense behind them and the offense in the other halves of the innings. My thoughts on the rest of the Halos next time!
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